Active Rock stations
that are more current and play new music from artists like Nirvana, Slipknot,
Limp Bizket, System of a Down, and the like. Also can play some hard classic
rock - aka Billy Squier, Ozzy, Van Halen, etc... Station may also be classified
as Hard Rock. See Rock.

Adult
Alternative

A station which
plays primarily current music which tends to appeal more to adults than
to teenagers. Playlists depend on album tracks as well as on music released
or designated as singles. Stylistically, such stations may play rock, folk-rock,
country-rock, modern rock, blues, folk, and world music.

Adult
Contemporary (AC)

A station playing
commercial popular and rock music released during the past ten to twenty
years, designed for general listeners rather than for listeners interested
in hearing the current hits. See Soft AC,
Modern
AC, and Hot AC.

Adult Hits

A station that plays a variety of different
music programmed towards adults. The format and playlist is suppose
to imitate what people would hear on their iPod or MP3 players. Most
stations that play this format usually call themselves by a name like "Jack"
or "Sam" and uses the slogan "We Play Anything" The station is typiaclly
jockless. Format is also reffered to as Variety Hits.

Classic
Hits

A station that plays
pop and rock hits from the 60's, 70's, 80's, and possibly the early 90's.
Can Be considered a cross between Classic Rock and
Oldies.

Classic
Rock

A station which
plays rock music released during the 60's, 70's, 80's, & 90's. These
stations appeal mainly to adults rather than to teenagers. Some Classic
Rock stations play a very limited amount of current releases stylistically
consistent with the station's format.

Contemporary
Hit Radio(CHR)Top-40

A station which
plays a significant amount of current popular music, whether singles or
album cuts. As it is no longer unusual for a single to remain on the charts
for 30-40 weeks or longer, "current" refers to music released within the
last year.

Some CHR stations
tend to concentrate on specific music styles, such as Rock or Urban, or
a range of styles, such as Rock/Pop/Dance or R&B/Rap/Dance. Some CHR
stations may play a significant amount of hits released during the past
ten to twenty years, particularly if there are insufficient current hit
releases which fall within the station's stylistic range.

Country

A station which
plays country and western hits by artists like Kenny Chesney, Faith Hill,
Tim McGraw, etc. Some country stations program themselves like CHR stations
and plays mainly current hits; while others may program themselves like
AC or Hot AC stations and play songs from ten to 15 years ago as well as
the currents. "Classic Country" stations play country hits from the 60's,
70's and 80's.

Rhythmic
CHR

A station which
plays current popular music with and emphasis on Urban or Hip-Hop titles.

Hot
Adult Contemporary(Hot AC)

A station which
plays commercial popular and rock music released during the past ten or
fifteen years which is more lively than the music played on the average
Adult Contemporary station, but is still designed to appeal to general
listeners rather than listeners interested in hearing the current hits.
Hot AC stations are sometimes reffered to as Adult CHR. There is
no strict rule as to how much new material a station needs to play in order
to be considered "CHR" rather than "Hot AC." See AC,
Modern
AC, and Soft AC.

Gold AC

A station which plays music from the late
60's through the early 80's. Most gold AC stations were once
Oldies
stations that transitioned to this hybrid Oldies/Adult Contrmporary format.

Soft
Adult Contemporary(Soft AC)

A station playing
particularly easy-going popular and rock music released during the past
ten to thirty years designed to appeal to general listeners. This format
is the descendent of the "Easy Listening" format of years past. See
AC,
Hot
AC, and Modern AC

Modern
Adult Contemporary(Modern AC)

A station station
that is essentially a cross between a Modern Rock and an Adult Contemporary.
Modern AC stations generally play more modern rock hits rather then pop.

Modern
Rock

A station which
plays mostly current rock music performed by artists which have become
prominent during the past five to ten years. Can also be called Alternative.
See Rock.

Oldies

A station which
plays popular, rock 'n roll, and rock music released during the 50's, 60's
and 70's. These stations recreate the sound of popular AM stations of the
period and tend to be popular with listeners who grew up during that time
and their pre-teen children.

Most oldies stations
have stopped playing 50's and concentrate on music from 1966 thru 1978*.
Over the past couple years oldies stations have disappeard on the FM band
only to reappear on the AM band. Those stations returning to AM usually
concentrate on music from the mid-50's thru the 60's as oldies stations
originally did.

*Some stations play
music through the early 80's also, as long as it falls within the station's
stylistic range. See Gold AC

Rock

A station which
plays mostly current rock music, with classic rock mixed in, whether single
releases or album cuts. Due to the diversity within rock music today, the
playlists of different rock stations may fall within different stylistic
ranges. See Modern Rock, Active Rock,
and Classic Rock.

Smooth
Jazz

A station which
plays easy-going popular music with a "jazzy" feel, designed to set a mood
rather than to invite critical listening. "Smooth Jazz" is often set to
a medium-tempo or "hip-hop" beat.

Sports

A
station that airs live sporting events and talk shows with sports related
topics.

Nostalgia

A station which
plays popular music recorded by the Big Bands of the late 30's and '40's,
music recorded by Big Band-era singers during the 40's and '50's, and/or
interpretations of the "standards" of that period, including recent interpretations.
This format is primarily aimed at older adults and is sometimes referred
to as "Adult Standards." Some stations of this type will play any non-rock
popular music of the past 60 years.

Talk

A format or program
which features one or more hosts discussing current events and other topics,
often in the context of a particular political ideology. Talk programs
frequently feature in-studio guests and calls from members of the public,
representing varying degrees of expertise. Health, medical, and financial
topics are especially popular.

Urban

Stations or programs
which plays music, such as rap, hip-hop, r&b, and soul, in the styles
which are the descendents of rhythm & blues music of past decades.
Some of the more dance-oriented genres include club, house, jungle, and
trip-hop. The mix favored by any given station depends in large part upon
the age of the station's audience. Many Urban stations which appeal to
adults rather than to teenagers include soul/r&b hits dating back twenty
years or longer, and are sometimes characterized as "Urban AC" or "Urban
Contemporary."